The In-Home Presentation
Here we are – 2019! Prince’s song “1999,” which came out in 1982, envisions a time that is now 20 years in our rear view mirror! Can you believe it?
I love it when I hear someone say “Oh, how I wish we could go back to those days!” Because my response is “Seriously?!?! You have to be kidding me! Why would you ever want to go backward?”
And that is what really drives us here at the Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report! We are always convinced that the future is bigger, better, and brighter. And our goal is to give you ideas that will help you live into that future!
So, that said, let’s get going with our first issue of 2019. We’re going to discuss the importance of the In-Home Sales Presentation but, first, there are four opportunities I want to give you:
- On Thursday, January 24 at 11 am, we will hold our next “Let’s Be Frank” conference call. This call will feature a conversation with Frank Farmer, president of American Metal Roofs, one of the country’s leading specialty residential metal roofing contractors. Frank is also president of Metal Roofing Consultants, an organization that helps contractors build their metal roofing programs. In this conversation, we will discuss how to train and onboard new salespeople with a special focus on American’s “Boot Camp” sales training program which is open to other contractors. To attend the call, dial in to 857-232-0476 and enter the code 332616. Again, this is on Thursday, January 24 at 11 am Eastern.
- One of my top suggestions for in-home salespeople is to present the prospect with their Letter of Personal Commitment printed on nice paper. Then, sign it in front of the prospect, and hand them the pen. Your Personal Commitment explains exactly what they can expect from you if you are blessed with their business. A great way to wrap this up is with a top quality one-of-a-kind custom-made pen with your company logo. A friend of mine makes and sells custom pens at My Turned Pens and he’d be happy to discuss designing a custom pen just for your company to make a huge impact on prospects and customers.
- In order to better meet contractors’ schedules, the 2019 Metal Roofing Summit has been re-scheduled for April 15-17 in Piqua, Ohio. Please mark your calendar now to attend this great event which will feature numerous speakers on marketing and sales, and also allow you time to network with other home improvement professionals.
- We have introduced a FaceBook group page for Metal Roof Installers. This page has been very active with posts by those who install metal roofs and also by contractors who sell metal roofs. We encourage you to join the group if you’re in one of those categories. We keep the group clean, respectful, and helpful.
Now, on with our first 2019 issue of the Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report.
For the past several months, we have been looking at “best practices” that hallmark leading home improvement and specialty metal roofing contractors. In previous issues, we have looked at Business Systemization, Professionalism, Commitment, Knowing Your Numbers, Marketing and Lead Generation, Referral Maximization, Gaining Local Expert Status, Total Industry Knowledge, Lead Qualification, and Leadership. In this issue, we’re going to talk about the In-Home Sales Presentation.
Most successful metal roofing contractors have a sales presentation that lasts from 2 – 3 hours. Yes, you heard that right. And every one of them originally said that there was no way that a homeowner would sit for a presentation of that length. But, if it’s a well-designed presentation focused on educating the customer, they will remain attentive. And, of course, a well-educated prospect is your most likely pathway to a sale.
Think about this for a moment … if you’ve ever made any purchase that, dollars-wise was the magnitude of a quality metal roof, did that purchase not require 2 – 3 hours of your time? I am guessing that it probably involved at least that much time, and probably more.
Such a presentation must be well-designed and scripted but also flexible to really explore a homeowner’s pains, needs, and wishes. This presentation should include an attic inspection and evaluation as well as a “logical” side and an “emotional” side.
Let me explain the dance that must take place between logical and emotional. Once the roof installation is completed, folks will be most excited by how it looks – that’s part of the emotional. But, I assure you, they will have to have what I call “water cooler justification” in order to commit to the purchase. Fact is, they are not going to stand around the water cooler at work and tell folks that they just spent tens of thousands of dollars on a metal roof because it was “pretty”. They must have the logical / intellectual reasons for buying as well as the emotional reasons.
The presentation that many successful metal roofing contractors uses starts out emotional by making a good first impression and getting them to talk about their house. Then it turns more logical when you talk a bit about various roofing options and take the time to re-enforce why they do not want certain other roofs for their home. Then it goes back emotional when you help them analyze their needs and take a look at the performance of their attic. Next, it returns to their logical brain as you look at the benefits of your solution. The presentation goes back emotional when you talk about what it will be like to do business with your company, and it ends on the logical side again as you close the deal. This back and forth between logical and emotional keeps the prospect involved on all levels and at all times. And, it makes that 2 – 3 hour presentation go by very quickly.
As you may have already suspected, I am a strong proponent of a carefully-scripted in-home sales presentation delivered either using a binder or a laptop or tablet. A salesperson who knows their presentation extremely well will know how to tweak it a bit on the fly to really drive home the things that have the most impact on that particular prospect. A strong presentation enhances your professionalism and your authority as an industry expert.
Two critical parts of the presentation, which I suggest doing at the end, are selling your company and also selling yourself. Many salespeople are really good at selling product, sort of “okay” at selling their company, but then they completely forget to sell themselves. When you’re in the home though, you are the only connection that homeowner has to your company. You are not only the face of the company but, at that moment, you “are” the company. It is critical that they know who you are, why you work for the company you work for, and what drives your passion when it comes to the sales of residential metal roofing.
We certainly could talk a lot more about this subject but I do want to share this with you. You need to present the homeowner with your company’s Code of Ethics but, beyond that, you need to give them your Personal Pledge. As mentioned earlier, I suggest having it printed on very nice paper and, shortly before you ask for the sale, present them with your pledge and sign it right in front of them. I firmly believe that any salesperson out there can increase their closing ratio by at least 25% just by incorporating a personal pledge. Click on the aforementioned links to learn about these two critical sales tools that will immediately have great results.
Your company’s sales presentation is your pathway to success. In this case, success means more sales and also happy, well-educated customers who do not experience buyer’s remorse. I encourage you to spend time this winter reviewing and refining your sales presentation for maximum effectiveness.
As always, let me know if you’d like to discuss any of these ideas in further detail. I’d love to hop on the phone with you some day and discuss the challenges currently being faced by your company … and perhaps we can help you discover some great answers to implement in 2019! I can be reached at 1-800-543-8938 ext 201.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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Great read ! Interested in becoming a dealer . I am also a hybrid contractor / consultant for roofers . I would love to talk win win relationship .
Thanks Lee. Let’s talk next week. I will try to reach you but my cell is 937 422 8718 if you wish to try to reach me. I look forward to talking. Todd Miller